The review of the Ergaki Natural Park from the words of those who's been coming back here again and again: “It is not surprising that for us who comes from an annoying urban environment, majestic mountains and quiet forests become an alternative to the monastery, a successful escape from civilization, a Siberian exotic.”
Ergaki is a unique natural complex that has received the status of a park of national importance, it combines the natural beauty of the Sayan Mountains and developed tourist infrastructure.
Ergaki is a fantasy land, because there simply cannot be such landscapes and such a starry sky in the real world. But the best thing is that in this fantasy land there are places of reality in the form of tourist centers, hotels and ski slopes.
For many millennia, no one knew about Ergaki; the edge of the Western Sayan was so uninhabited and wild. In 1949, three Krasnoyarsk artists set off on a journey in search of nature for their new paintings. When they reached Ergaki, which were then designated on the maps as Irgaki, they realized that they simply could not find the best nature in the world. Since then, people have drawn towards Ergaki - at first desperate daredevils, then climbers, who have discovered many peaks worthy of climbing here.
Among other things - Ergaki was a sacred territory, especially for Tuvan shamans, and today many who visit these places feel the secret power around.
Every year, the park is visited by tens of thousands of tourists, to be more precise - about a hundred thousand tourists, and this is only registered.
Nature & weather
Ergaki is a territory with a relief characteristic of medium-sized mountains. The territory of the Natural Park itself is not very large and is approximately 80 km long and 70 km wide. Weather does not differ a stability, frequent precipitation in the form of rain or snow is typical, depending on the season. It is not hot in summer, the average temperature is about 15 ° C during the day. At night, 10 degrees lower. In winter, frosts can reach - 40 ° C.
Important! Tourists counting on long hikes need to stock up with waterproof shoes and clothes, a minimum set of dishes, a first-aid kit and a supply of food. The capacity of the backpack for a five-day trip should be 60 liters. In such a backpack fit everything you need. The weight of the packaged backpack will be about 30 kg.
Flora & Fauna
In the forests and fields you can find many plants from the Red Data List: siberian pine, rhodiola algida , turkestan juniper, siberian fawn lily, broad-leaved willowherb, maral root, Adam's rhododendron, dark-violet viola, trollius, etc. Only 48 species.
In Ergaki, you can find 19 species of insects listed in the Red Data List, 41 species of rare birds, including: black stork, gray duck-finch, gray duck, gray goose, scaly thrush, gray crane, whooper swan, etc.
The list of rare mammals of the Ergaki nature park includes 10 species: lynx, siberian wild boar, red deer, elk, forest reindeer, otter, etc.
Among coniferous thickets, strewn with flowers on the slopes between the lakes, one can meet martens, foxes, jerboas, otters ... and sometimes wolves, bears.
Bears are becoming an increasing problem for tourists, and people themselves are to blame - according to experts: they leave a lot of garbage in the park, which leads hungry predators to search for food in the previously forbidden zone.
Poisonous snakes are found in the park: common European viper, Siberian pit viper.
How to get to Ergaki
There are many ways to get to Ergaki. The main thing is to get on the M54 federal highway. It crosses the Natural Park along its entire length. You can go from Krasnoyarsk, Novosibirsk and Minusinsk.
Where to stay
There are Ergaki recreation centers and organized tent camps are located along the highway.
Recreation Centers
Recreation facilities are mostly standard, with a typical range of services. There are rooms, residential houses, cafes, dining rooms, bathhouses and toilets.
What to do for tourists
Tourists, depending on the season, are offered many programs. In winter - skiing, snowboarding, snowmobiling, and hiking in the surrounding area.
In summer, instead of skiing, horseback and hiking tours to natural monuments, lakes and mountains.
Note! For tourists who want to be closer to the mountains and away from civilization, the best stopping place would be camps on the Svetloye and Raduzhnoye lakes. From them you can go on small hikes in different directions every day. Numerous cliffs and mountain peaks of the Park are a real paradise for both beginners and experienced climbers.
Ergaki Attractions
The Pass of Artists
The Pass of Artists with a view of the Taigish river. They say it was named after the three discoverers. Ergaki were known long before the artists went camping. But they were the first who appreciated the beauty of the region. Still, artists see differently than geologists. Maybe geologists appreciated the beauty as well, but people still believed the artists. No wonder. From the pass you can see all the objects included in the routes in Ergaki.
Parabola
Parabola - two rocks that formed a visual tandem. Between the rocks there is a filigree jumper, thanks to which the shape of the inter-scale opening becomes an ideal parabolic line. If people who are artists themselves go on a pilgrimage to the Pass of Artists, then, in theory, they should go to the parabola to worship mathematics. In the end, the Parabola is the only monument to the exact sciences, especially since at the foot of the rocks there is an ideal rectangle - Lake of the Mountain Spirits. The rocks have another name - the Brothers.
Mountain Spirits Lake
Mountain Spirits Lake is a typical elven name. There is even a legend according to which the Lake is the place where the treasure of the evil sorcerer is hidden. He turned two brothers into rocks, and left them forever to guard the hidden treasures. In connection with this legend, meticulous tourists have a logical question - where did Ergak legends come from, if the park never had a permanent population and even their footprints. Most likely, ancient legends have a completely modern origin and their authors are smart managers of travel agencies.
The Star Peak and The Pass Piquant
The Star Peak and The Pass Piquant. The Star Peak is 2265 m. The highest point of the park.
The Sleeping Sayan
The Sleeping Sayan is a real magic of nature. Well, esotericists try to attribute to the Sleeping Sayan an extraterrestrial origin. This version is easy to believe. The rock has the form of a sleeping person, in all its details reproducing the outlines of a human face falling from the head of hair, torso and arms makes an indelible impression.
The Hanging Stone
The Hanging Stone is the Ergak answer to the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Huge multi-ton granite lies on a rock in an inclined position, being held by only one point of contact. They say that many experimenters so often tried to swing and dump it, that all micropores clogged at the point of contact. Now the stone not only does not fall, but does not move at all, having welded to the rock tightly. The vast majority of photo reports on a trip to Ergaki include a group photograph of tourists standing under a stone.
At tourist camps, travelers who are going to explore Ergaki will receive the instruction about the rules of conduct in the Park and on safety standards. In particular, tourists will be informed that it is forbidden to make bonfires in the Park. You'll get a memo on how to behave in the event of a meeting with a bear. They will teach to reasonably equip the camp and appoint conductors. This indicates that the tourism business in the Ergaki Nature Park operates in accordance with global standards. And this is very good for the development of tourism in general and for tourists in particular.
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